A Bit Too Much Rum
by R. L. Ravenclaw
Summary: Prequel to The Pirate's Child. Jack meets up with Arabella in Tortuga, things get a little out of hand and something unexpected happens ; Sparrabella Robb Kidd books if you read this you'll really want to read the next one.
1. Chapter: A Night in Tortuga

**Chapter 1: A Night in Tortuga**

**A Bit Too Much Rum**

**A Prequel to A Journey Through Time**

**Chapter 1: A Night in Tortuga**

It was a clear day in the pirate town of Tortuga. Pirates were running around with hangovers, supplying their ships or hanging out with the local whores. The sun was shining and the Royal Navy was nowhere in sight. It was a perfect day for enjoying yourself and that was exactly what Jack Sparrow intended to do.

He walked through the town and wondered what he should do with this spare time on his hands when he heard a familiar voice. "Jack, is that you?" the voice asked. He turned around and saw his former first mate, Arabella Smith.

"Well, long time no see" he said as she caught up with him.

"It has been a long time hasn't it" She said with a smirked. It was good to see her old friend again.

"So what brings you back to Tortuga?" he asked

"We needed supplies and the men were getting a little restless. I personally wanted to get away from me mother for a few hours before we're stuck together in the middle of the sea for who-knows-how long." Arabella replied with a smile.

"We all need a break every now and then. Speaking of which, that is exactly what I'm doing. Do you care to join me?" He pretended to be a gentleman and offered her his arm in a goofy way. She giggled and took it.

They walked through the town all afternoon and talked about what they had been doing since they last saw each other. Before they knew it the sun had set and they were walking past the Faithful Bride. Jack stopped and turned to her, "I'm going to go get us some rum. Wait here. You probably don't want your father to see you."

"Ye got that right." She agreed

He smiled and walked into the tavern. About ten minutes later, He walked out carrying at least six full bottles of rum. Arabella raised an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips. "What? I need it after all the adventures I've been on" He said and handed her a bottle.

"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt if I had some as well." She said as she took it and they both started drinking.

They walked down to the beach and found an abandoned shack. They had gotten pretty drunk so they went in because they could barely stand up. It was really dusty and old. There was a rickety table and chairs in one corner and a filthy old mattress covered in dust in the other.

They stumbled to the table and sat down. "I didn't think you liked rum." Jack said before he took another big gulp of his rum.

"If ye live on a pirate ship ye eventually learn to like it." She said right before she hiccupped which made Jack chuckle.

"Come here, Belle." He said as he motioned for here to do so. She slowly got up and stumbled to his chair. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned into him and put her head on his brood shoulder. He kissed her cheek and then claimed her lips.

The next morning, Arabella woke up with a splitting headache and a horrible stomach ache. She was about two seconds from throwing up whatever was left in her stomach. She couldn't quite remember what happened last night, but she did remember that she was with Jack. That was about it though. She opened her eyes and saw that she wasn't in her cabin instead she was in the old shack by the beach. She shot up and almost let out a loud scream. Her clothes were scattered all over the place. All she had on was her underwear. She turned and saw none other than Jack sleeping next to her on that old, dusty mattress. He wasn't wearing anything but his pants which wasn't that bad to her, but she instantly shook that thought out of her head. Now she thought she was going to have a heart attack. _"Oh my god, I just slept with Jack Sparrow!"_ she screamed in her head. She quickly got up and started to get dressed. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been, _"How could I let this happen?"_

Jack rolled over on his side with a moan as he heard someone move around. He opened his eyes and noticed where he was. Then he saw Arabella trying to get dressed. His eyes widened with shock. He knew he had been drunk last night, but he didn't think he had been that drunk. "Uh, Belle did we…."

"Don't ye dare say a word to me." She interrupted with a lot of venom in her voice as she buttoned up her shirt. Then she stormed out of the cabin not even looking at him. She didn't want anything to do with him because she hated him for tricking her into sleeping with him.

"Belle, wait a minute. I didn't mean for that to happen." Jack said as he ran after her. He was really serious when he said this, but she was too mad to listen. After all it was _him_ who bought the rum and dragged her to the shack.

"Oh sure, ye just assume nothing will happen if ye get six bottles of rum and take me to an abandoned shack!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she continued to walk down to the docks.

"Belle please, you gotta believe me." Jack pleaded as he caught up with her.

She just kept walking. She still couldn't believe she had been so stupid. If her mother found out about this, she would never see the light of day again.

Jack sighed when she was out of sight. He couldn't believe he had just slept with Arabella. Not to mention she didn't believe him when he told her that he didn't mean for that to happen. It was the last thing on his mind, well not exactly the _last_ thing, but it was close. He never wanted to do that to her never in a million years would he do that.

* * *

Arabella walked up the gangplank of the Fleur de la Mort. She tried to sneak to her cabin unnoticed, but it was definitely not going to happen. Just as she was a few feet from the door, her mother grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face her, "Where have you been?" she asked sternly. She looked pretty angry which was definitely not a good thing.

"I was in town." She quickly replied. She didn't really lie, but that didn't make her feel better. Her mother's angry look was making her shake and she was still really ashamed of herself.

"I was worried your father had found you. Why didn't you tell me where you were going?" she asked as she calmed down a little bit.

"I'm not a child anymore. I'm eighteen, I can go any where I please and I don't have to tell you where I'm going either." Arabella said annoyed that her mother never let her grow up.

"As long as you work on my ship, you will do as I say. Am I clear?" Laura said with a stern look in her eyes.

Arabella pulled away from her mother's grasp and went into her cabin. One day she was going to leave this stupid ship and be her own woman. She was going to do what she wanted to do when she wanted to and she wouldn't answer to anyone. All she ever wanted was her freedom.

**Author's notes: I know this was a short chapter, but trust me it's going to get better. Please review and tell me what you think and be honest.**


	2. Chapter: Unexpected

**Chapter 2: Unexpected**

**Chapter 2: Unexpected**

A few weeks later, Arabella woke up and ran up to the deck as fast as her legs would take her. Her stomach was not going to hold whatever was in it so she had to lean over the railing and throw up. This had been going on for a whole week and her mother had been bugging her about it every single day, "When will this bug go away?" she asked herself after her stomach was emptied.

Laura saw her leaning over the railing as she threw up. She walked over to her daughter and placed her hand gently on her shoulder. "Arabella, you need to let the doctor have a look at you." Laura said with concern in her voice.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest a little bit more." Arabella insisted as she pulled herself upright.

"The doctor is going to take a look at you whether you like it or not." Laura said getting back the boss tone of voice.

"I don't need a doctor, mother." Arabella said while sitting down on a barrel.

"What's the harm in having him take a look?" Laura said as she rubbed Arabella's back.

For once she had a point so Arabella got up and walked down to her cabin. She did want to find out what was wrong. This just didn't seem like any kind of bug she had had before. She was so sick in the mornings, but in the afternoon she was just fine. It was so strange to her, but whatever it was, something had to be done and soon or she was going to go crazy.

A few minutes after she lied down on her bed, the ship's doctor walked in. "Hello Arabella." He sat down in a chair by her bed with his medical bag. He was young for a doctor and didn't really look like a pirate, but that didn't stop him from working there or getting respect from the crew.

"Hello" she said as she slowly sat up. She was still a little queasy, but it would be over soon anyway.

"So, your mother tells me you have been throwing up for a week." He said as he looked through his medical bag. He pulled out a pencil and paper. She had no idea why, but she didn't care.

"Yes, but it only happens in the morning." She stated as he wrote it down on the paper.

"I see" He started to ask her personal questions and then he started to pock and prod her a little bit. After he was finished, he looked at his notes and then he got a concerned look on his face.

"What do I need to do to get over this?" she asked.

He sighed and sat down. "There's nothing you can do." He said almost in a whisper.

"What do ye mean? What's wrong with me?" she said in a panicky voice.

"Arabella, you're going to have a child." He replied

Arabella turned pale. She couldn't believe what he just said. She looked back at him with wide eyes full of shock, "You can't be serious." She said really quietly while hoping that this was a nightmare that was going to end the minute she woke up, but that wasn't the case.

"It's not hard to figure out this kind of thing. In fact, I know for sure you are. There's no other explanation. You are going to have a baby. There is no doubt about it." He said very seriously.

She shook her head. What kind of mother would she of all people make? There was no doubt she would be lousy at it and then there was _her_ mother. How was she supposed to tell her mother about this? And worse than that was the fact that Jack Sparrow was the father. She knew the minute she told her mother that, she would hunt him down and kill him. Arabella was still mad at Jack for tricking her, but she didn't think he deserved to die because of it.

"Arabella, you need to tell your mother about this." The doctor said waking me up from my thoughts.

"Not now." I responded as I tried to think this through.

"But you need to do it as soon as possible, it will only be a matter of time before you start showing."

"I will, just not now"

"Alright, but don't wait too long." He said as he picked up his bag and left the room. Arabella lied back down as her head began to spin and cried so hard her pillow was soaked. What did she know about raising a child? Her mother had left when she was about four or five. She had no experience with children whatsoever and a pirate ship was no place to have baby. But what could she do? It was too late. The baby was already on the way.

As she was thinking, she heard a knock on the door, "Arabella, can I come in now?" her mother asked sounding a little worried that something was really wrong, but it was so she had a good reason to be that way.

"Aye" Arabella replied as she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Laura opened the door and walked over to her daughter. "What did the doctor say, honey?" she asked as she sat down next to her.

Arabella knew she had to tell her, but she was still worried about what would happen. She took a deep breath and tried to get the words out of her mouth. "Mom, I'm… having a… baby." She said in a whisper.

Laura's eyes popped out and her jaw dropped, "What? Did you just say you're pregnant?" she asked. Arabella nodded and held her head down with shame. "How could this happen?!"

Tears started to well up in Arabella's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mum" she said as she tried to hold them back.

Laura stood up and paced the floor. Her face instantly turned from hurt to anger, "That's what you were doing that night, wasn't it? I can't believe you would do something so stupid!"

The tears started to make their way down Arabella's face now. She couldn't even look at her mother. She felt so ashamed.

After a few minutes of silence, Laura stormed out of the room while slamming the door behind her. Arabella lied back on the bed. She couldn't be a mother. She would make a horrible one, she just knew it. Arabella put her hand on her stomach and wished she hadn't even seen Jack at all.

* * *

The Fleur made port on a small island. There was only one town on it, but they needed supplies and there was someone there Laura wanted to see. She ordered the crew to get the supplies and be back here by sunset or be left behind. She quickly went down to Arabella's cabin and opened the door, "Arabella, come with me. There's someone I want you to meet." She said with a stern tone in her voice that she hadn't stopped using in the whole month after they found out about the baby. Arabella slowly got up off the bed and followed her mother up to the deck and into the little town.

"Where are we going?" she asked when they were in the middle of the town.

"You'll see." Laura asked flatly. She didn't even look at Arabella as they continued walking.

The two women turned a corner and came to a small mahogany-colored house. Laura quickly walked up to the door and knocked. A minute later, a middle-aged woman dressed in a plain white dress that looked like a nurses uniform opened the door and took a good look at the two women. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Captain Laura Smith and this is my daughter, Arabella. We've come to see Madame Andrea." Laura replied in a very serious tone that was almost scary to hear.

The woman opened the door and motioned them inside, "Come with me." She said and led them to a small room no bigger than the storage room on the ship. It only had a small bunk and a few chairs inside as well as a table covered with strange tools. "She'll be with you in a minute." The woman said and turned to get Madame Andrea.

When she was gone, Arabella looked at her mother. "Where are we?" she asked. This place creeped her out.

"This woman can help you." Laura replied still not looking at her.

"Is she a midwife? Mother, I'm not that far along." Arabella said.

Laura didn't answer her instead she just sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Arabella to do the same. She did as she was asked and sat down. This was kind of freaky and it felt like her mother was up to something which didn't seem like it was good

.

A few minutes later, a woman who looked to be about fifty or so walked into the room. She wore the same outfit the first lady did and had her hair pinned back, "Captain Smith, it's nice to see you haven't gotten captured yet. So what can I do for you?" she asked with a smile.

"My daughter had gotten into some trouble and is now pregnant. I was wondering if you could help us." Laura replied still not looking at Arabella.

"I certainly can." She said as she looked over at Arabella, "Could you lie down on this table for me?" she asked her still smiling.

Arabella hesitantly got on the table and lied down. She didn't have a very good feeling about this and she thought she could almost hear the baby telling her that he or she was scared.

Madame Andrea took a look down there, "I'd say you're about three months along. If you had waited much longer I wouldn't be able to do this."

Arabella looked up at her still confused about what was going on, "Do what?"

She looked over at Laura. "You didn't tell her?"

Laura just sat there and shook her head. She almost looked ashamed as she sat there.

"Well, basically I terminate the pregnancy for women who aren't ready to take on the responsibility of a child." Madame Andrea said as she picked up on of her tools which was a very narrow needle.

Arabella gave her a horrified look, "Are ye saying you kill the babies so the women don't have to raise them?" Her eye welled up with tears as she looked straight at her mother. "You want to kill me child?" she asked with horror in her voice.

"Arabella, this isn't killing, it's just…." Laura tried to explain.

"It's killing your own flesh and blood like a savage!" Arabella screamed as loudly as she could. She quickly got up off the table and ran out the door with tears running down her cheeks the whole way. She didn't care if this baby wasn't supposed to happen, that was no excuse to kill him or her. It was her baby and she wasn't about to deny him or her a chance at life because it was a bad time. She ran until her knees collapsed because she was crying so hard. _"How could she try to betray me like that?" _She asked herself. Arabella felt someone gently touch her shoulder. She slowly looked up and saw her mother standing there with a hurt look on her face.

"Arabella, you have to do this. You can't raise a child right now, maybe later when you're married, but not now." Laura said as tears threatened to come down her face.

"I can't kill me own child…" Arabella said as she stared into space, "If I had happened at the wrong time would you have killed me?"

"Arabella…"

"Would you have killed me?" she asked with a demanding voice.

Laura sighed, and sat down next to her daughter. She couldn't make her do this. She was right if you thought about it, it was murder. You were killing your own flesh when you took the baby's life, "No, I wouldn't have killed you. You're right, but how are you going to raise a child on a pirate ship?" she asked as she put her arm around her.

Arabella shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't have a choice."

Laura smiled. "You're going to make a good mother." She said, but then she looked down at the road they sat on," Arabella I want you to tell me the truth. Who's the father?"

Arabella couldn't hide it anymore she had to tell her mother who he was. Besides Jack needed to know even if he died not long after he found out, "Jack Sparrow." She said in almost a whisper.

Her mother's face turned bright red with anger, "You mean that pathetic little rat that you were sailing with when I found you?" she asked through clenched teeth. Arabella hung her head and nodded. Laura stood up and looked straight at her daughter. "He's not going to get away with this." She said and headed straight for her ship.

Arabella quickly caught up with her mother, "Mom please, I know you hate him for this, but ye don't have to kill him." Arabella pleaded. Laura ignored her and kept walking.

When they got to the ship she ordered the crew to head for Tortuga. "We'll start looking there." She was in the biggest rag Arabella had ever seen before. She knew Jack wouldn't survive if her mother found him. She had to warn him somehow.

**Author's notes: If it sounds pro-life then good because that's what I was going for. Please review and if you have any suggestions, do tell.**


	3. Chapter: A Life Altering Event

Chapter 3: A Life Altering Event

Chapter 3: A Life Altering Event

Jack was back in Tortuga in need of a ship, his just always ended up at the bottom of the ocean which was beginning to irritate him. He walked to the docks to see if he could possibly 'borrow' one. He saw one that looked seaworthy and looked like it hadn't been used in a while. He was just a few feet away from it when he heard somebody shout his name. He turned and saw Arabella running towards him. It was still kind of awkward after what happened the last time they had seen each other. He was amazed that she would be back here so soon, but then again with a mother as a pirate there was no reason to be surprised to see her here. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon." He said trying his best to try and ignore how awkward this was.

"Jack, ye've got to get out of here."

"Well, I was just about to leave so no problem, but why do I _need_ to?"

She didn't have time to answer that question because her mother had just spotted them. She was really and I mean _really_ angry. She ran straight for them with her crew following close behind her. "Bind his hands and take him to the ship." She ordered. Two muscular men grabbed Jack's arms and tied his hands behind his back.

"What in the name of all that's blessed and blasted is going on?" he asked Laura.

"You should know exactly what's going on you filthy rat." She said with a sneer.

He was a little scared, but he wasn't going to show it for nothing. "Sorry luv, but I have no idea."

"Take him to the ship." She turned and headed back to the ship with Arabella following close behind. She kept her head down the whole time. Jack wondered if she had told her mother about what happened. That's probably why she was doing this, but he really didn't think Arabella would tell her mother about this sort of thing. He didn't have time to think about it because the men started to push him towards the ship. "Move it, ye little runt."

"Who you calling a runt?" The man kicked in the backside, so he shut his mouth and let them drag him to the Fleur. He was pushed into the captain's cabin where Arabella and her very angry mother were waiting. One of the men cut his hands loose and then they both left. "I still don't know what the devil is going on."

Laura turned to her daughter who was sitting at the small table. "Why don't you tell him, Arabella?"

Arabella looked up. She was a little pale and she had tears in her eyes. "Mother just let…"

"TELL HIM!"

Arabella hung her head. She knew Jack would never forgive her for this, but he needed to find out about this sooner or later. She looked up at him with hurt eyes. "I'm having a baby."

Jack's jaw dropped. _"Oh bugger"_ He knew he was as good as dead. Captain Smith was either going to stab him or make him walk the blank. Either way it was a sad way to go just because he had a little too much to drink that night. But he was mistaken.

"Mother, please don't kill him. I know yer mad at him, but he doesn't deserve to die." Arabella pleaded.

"Who ever said I was going to kill him?" Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "But I did say that he wasn't going to get away with this." He gulped. He didn't know what she had in mind, but whatever it was it probably involved pain. She pointed a gun at his head "Jack, you're going to make up for what you did."

He was shacking a little bit as she stared at him with that angry look and a gun pointed at his head. "And how would I make up for that without any pain being involved?"

"It's quite simple. You just have to take responsibility for your actions… by marrying Arabella."

His eyes widened. He wasn't ready to have a wife. He wasn't even sure he wanted to have a wife especially not a pregnant one, but he had a feeling if he said no Captain Smith would blow his brains out.

Arabella looked between her mother and Jack. She was hoping her mother would find a better way to punish him not make him _marry_ her. She would've rather been shot in the head then do that. But then she thought of the child growing inside her. He or she needed a father. She would do it for the baby, but she wasn't going to be happy about it.

"Arabella, come here." Her mother demanded. She did as she was told and walked over to where they were standing.

She made them hold hands and say their eternal vows. Jack was shacking in his boots and Arabella felt so ashamed and angry. They would be stuck with each other forever. Arabella kept thinking about the baby. That was the only reason she was doing this.

Jack couldn't believe he was marrying Arabella. He thought he was too young to have a wife. Then there was the child. He didn't know anything about kids or how to be a father. But it was either that or a bullet in his head so he said his vows.

After it was over Arabella ran to her cabin. Jack was about to follow her when Captain Smith or should I say his mother-in-law grabbed his shoulder. "Just to make sure you don't leave her somewhere to fend for herself, you'll be working on my ship."

"_Could this day get any worse?"_ He pulled out of her grasp and went to talk to Arabella. He opened the door and saw her lying on the bed. "Belle, I'm sorry…"

"No Jack, I'm the one that should apologize. If I hadn't told her that ye were the father, she wouldn't have dragged you into this mess."

"Technically, I dragged meself into this mess when I bought those bottles of rum."

"We're both to blame, but I've got more important things to worry about."

He sighed and sat on the bed, "I'm still not looking forward to working for yer mother."

"What choice do you have?"

"I don't know, but we're not staying here forever. Actually, I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I'm only thinking about what's best for the baby."

"In that case, I say we really need to get out of here."

She rolled over on her back and looked over at him. "I'm not really good with kids so I hope you know something about them." He said.

"I don't have a clue." She smiled.

"Yeah we're going to make great parents." They both laughed. Jack just now noticed the little bulge on Arabella's midsection. That made it seem real. He was scared of that more than Captain Smith. What did he know about being a father?

The next few weeks were the worst. Captain Smith worked Jack like a dog and she gave him all the jobs everybody tries to avoid like swabbing the deck and stuff like that. He always had horrible cuts on his hands and and his back, not to mention a few bruises from falling off the mast when it rained. He was getting pretty sick of this crap.

After a really hard day of doing everything his stupid mother-in-law demanded, He plopped down on the bed and sighed. his cuts were worse than ever so, Arabella was trying to clean them with hot water although it would've been a lot easier if he would've stayed still and not whined every two minutes. "Jack, we need to leave now."

"Oh sure and have yer mother shoot me. Yeah I don't think so."

"She's pretty much killing you now and if I go with ye I don't think she'll kill you."

"If you have any ideas about how to do that, please share it."

"Same thing ye did last time, find an abandoned ship and take it."

"Alright fine, but what about the baby? What's going to happen if we're on a ship and you go into labor?"

"I'm only five months along. When it comes closer to the time for me to have the baby we can stay somewhere on land for a little while."

"Right" he felt kind of stupid for not thinking of that, but at least they would get three months out on the open sea without any annoying, bloodthirsty pirates. "We'll get off at the next port."he said. She smiled and lied down.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think yer going to make a good father." He smiled, but he still wasn't too sure about that. He knew nothing about kids let alone babies. They kind of grossed him out, but for some reason when he thought about his kid he didn't see him or her as a disgusting little bundle of wailing pink, flesh. To be honest he couldn't wait to hold his child, but he didn't want anyone to know that for some reason.

Three days later, The Fleur made port at Nassau. The crew headed straight for the tavern, but before she left Captain Smith turned to Jack. "Stay here with your wife."

"Aye, Aye Captain." He replied with a smirk. He crossed his fingers behind his back.

She gave him an angry look and followed the rest of the crew to the tavern. Jack headed below deck to see if Arabella was ready. She was in the galley packing whatever food she could get her hands on. "You think that's enough?" He asked knowingly.

"Well, we don't want to starve to death. Now do we?"

"No," He picked up there small bags or should I say flour sacs filled with their few belongings. "Are you ready?"

She tried to bend down and get the sac of food, but her belly was in the way. Jack rolled his eyes, grabbed the sac, and handed it to her. "Thanks."

"Now, are you ready?"

She nodded. They made their way up to the deck and off the ship. Arabella followed Jack to a small fishing boat that looked a lot like his old ship, the _Barnacle_. It was definitely abandoned, but it looked seaworthy. The nameplate said _The Fury_.

"So what do you think, Belle?" he asked with a smile.

She gave him a blank look. "It looks like that smelly, old fishing boat we sailed on last time."

"Would you rather be on the Fleur?"

"Alright let's go." She walked up the gangplank.

Jack went to the helm. It was good to have his own ship again. He and Arabella set sail and were soon a good distance away from the shore. She stared at the disappearing island and wondered what would happen when her mother had found out they had left.

Jack walked over and put his arm around her. "What's got you so down, luv?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He figured it was a mood swing, but then again maybe not. "Here's something that might cheer you up. Whats say we go to the Yucatan and see Jean and Tumun?"

"Ye really want them to find out about this." She motioned to her stomach.

"So what if they know about the kid. Sure, they'll probably get a good laugh out of it, but what else have we got to do?"

She had to admit, he had a point. And so what if they found out that she was expecting Jack's child. What were they going to do? Laugh? Big deal, they needed a break anyway.

"Well if they laugh I can always slap them. So yeah let's go."

Jack went to the helm and pointed them in the direction of the Yucatan. Arabella went below to see if she could get a nap. She looked around and found out that this boat was a little bit nicer than the _Barnacle_. It actually had a captain's cabin and the galley was a tad bigger and the stove wasn't as old as the one in the _Barnacle_ was. She went into the captain's cabin. It had a queen sized bed in it, a small dresser in one corner, and there was a full-length mirror in the other. She couldn't understand why someone would leave such a beautiful mirror in a smelly, fishing boat. Oh well, she didn't care, she just wanted some rest. She lied down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Arabella hadn't come up on deck for four hours so Jack figured that he should go check on her. He opened the door to the captain's cabin. He was impressed to see that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Arabella was fast asleep on the bed. He lied down next to her, put his arm around her, and closed his eyes.

An hour a later, Arabella woke up and noticed Jack was lying next to her and he had his arm around her. If he was down here with her, then who was watching the ship? She slowly got up and went on deck. She figured he couldn't do it all on his own so she took her turn at taking care of the ship.

The next morning, Jack slept in. He woke up and noticed that Arabella was gone. He got dressed and went up on deck. What he saw really surprised him, Arabella was at the helm steering the ship. "Ye know the Captain is supposed to work the helm, right?"

"Not if he's asleep, in which case the first mate had to take over." She smirked.

"Well, the Captain is awake and he is ordering the first mate to go and rest since she is expecting." He smiled his gold-tooth grin.

"That's one order I'm not going against." She smiled and started to make her way below when Jack grabbed her arm.

"Oh and when you get up, do us all a favor and make some food."

"What if I'm too tired to feed the Captain?"

"It's not the Captain I'm talking about, luv." He motioned to her belly.

"Alright, but it's mainly for the third crew member."

"Just save some for the Captain." He kissed her cheek and went to the helm. She had to admit, she was beginning to like his kisses, but she wasn't going to let him know that. It would go straight to his head. She went into the cabin and lied down. She was about ready to drift off when she felt a really hard kick. "Take it easy, little one." She closed her eyes and drifted off.

**Author's notes: Oh man, I'm sure nobody expected Captain Smith to go that far. If it's a little mushy, I apologize. **


	4. Chapter: A Short Break

Chapter 4: A Short Break

Chapter 4: A Short Break

A few weeks later, they spotted the Yucatan on the horizon. "They're going to get a good laugh out of this." Arabella said with a sigh.

"Cheer up, lass. If they laugh too hard, ye just have to give them that mean look and they'll shut up."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel better. And don't call me lass." She turned and went below deck.

"Mood swing" He said to himself. They were getting worse by the day and Jack didn't think he was going to survive through the next two months.

When _The Fury _finally reached the beach, all the natives were in hiding until Jack jumped off the boat. "Jack!" Tumun shouted as he ran to his former captain. Jean was following close behind.

"Hello mates" Jack said.

"It's good to see you, Jack." Jean said as he slapped him on the back.

"What are you doing here?" Tumun asked.

"We're here for a little break."

"Who's we?" They both asked at the same time.

"Arabella and me"

"Arabella's here to. Where is she?"

"Probably below deck, I'll get her." He crawled up the ladder and went below deck. Arabella was in the cabin as usual. "Come on, Belle"

"Alright, I'm coming." She tried getting off the bed, but she was having a hard time with her growing belly. "Jack, ye mind giving me a hand?"

He pulled her on her feet and headed for the deck. Jean and Tumun were already there. Arabella walked up on deck, her belly was really sore today and she was having a pretty bad mood swing. When Jean and Tumun saw her belly their mouths dropped. "It's a long story." She said as she sat down on a barrel.

"Who's the father?" Tumun asked.

"Over here, mate" Jack said

The boys couldn't believe what they were hearing. They never thought there was anything going on between those two. "I didn't think you guys liked each other." Jean said.

"You never know what happens after you have a little too much rum." Jack said not wanting to tell them the whole truth about how Captain Smith made him marry Arabella.

The boys started to snicker and then started to laugh. They kept laughing until Arabella gave them that mean look. "It's not funny." She said through clenched teeth. She got up and climbed down the ladder. The others did the same and the boys led Arabella and Jack to the village. It looked like the villagers were setting up for a big party or something. "What's going on here?" Arabella asked.

"We usually have a party to kick off spring." Tumun explained. A girl was walking towards them who looked nothing like the natives with her blond hair and blue eyes. She looked to be about eighteen or so.

"Who's that?" Jack asked Jean.

"That's Constance, my sister."

"But I thought she was turned into a cat." Arabella said.

"Well, we were walking along the beach a few years ago and we found this bottle of catnip. It turned Constance back into a human." Jean said with a smile.

Constance walked up to them with a curious look on her face. "Jack Sparrow?"

"Aye"

"It's been a while since I'd seen you." She said in a flirty way. This didn't make Arabella too happy.

"It's nice to see ye to, Constance." Arabella said trying to get her to back off.

Constance looked at Arabella's stomach. "What happened to you?"

"You don't want to know." Jack said trying to back away from Constance. She freaked him out just like she did when she was a cat. "Alright boys, where's the food?"

"I was expecting Arabella to say that." Constance said.

Arabella gave her the mean look. "Just because I've got an extra person to feed doesn't mean I want food all the time." She never really liked Constance in the first place and the fact that she was flirting with Jack didn't help the situation.

"Right this way." Said Tumun as he led them to where the villagers were making a fire.

A few hours later, they were sitting around the fire and eating tortillas stuffed with meat and what looked like tomatoes. Then they were handed cups that had like a chocolaty drink (probably the old fashion version of hot chocolate). Right when Arabella was about to take a drink of hers, Constance grabbed it from her. "Tumun, are you sure this kind of thing is good for a pregnant woman." she said with a knowing smile.

"Give me that, ye filthy wench." She said and grabbed the hot chocolate back from her.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't do anything to the kid."

"No, ye're trying to get me fired up," She got in her face, "and it's working!"

"Constance, leave her alone." Jack said. This girl was beginning to annoy him…big time. He turned to the boys. "So, who wants to leave with us tomorrow?"

"I'm in." Tumun replied, "I could use some time away from here."

"I'll go to." Jean replied.

"I guess that means I should go to." Constance said in a flirty way that made Jack cringe.

The next morning they set sail. "Jack, where are we going?" Jean asked as he tied some loose lines.

"Wherever we please, mate." He replied while steering the helm away from the Yucatan.

"And where would that be?" Arabella asked.

"I don't know. Anybody got any suggestions?"

"I say we go to New Orleans." Jean piped up.

Jack cringed. "Do you remember what happened last time we went there?"

"Madame Minuit isn't there anymore and you guys never got to see the real New Orleans."

"Jean is right. We didn't get to see the real New Orleans and I don't think we'll have a problem with gold-crazed mystics again" said Tumun as he was looking at the navigation device.

"There's no harm in going there for fun." Arabella said while watching Tumun with his navigation device.

"Belle, what happens if we run into trouble there? Do ye really want to risk the child's life?" Jack said.

"Trouble can happen everywhere. That doesn't mean I have to lie in bed until the kid pops out" she replied.

"Fine, we'll go to a place that is crawling with weird mystics and hopefully survive long enough to get out of there." Jack said officially giving up.

"Now you'll all see the _real_ New Orleans and you won't regret going back, I promise." Jean said anxious to go back to his hometown.

Two weeks later they docked at the city of New Orleans. It didn't look as bad as Jack made it sound, but then again, they were only at the dock. The moored the boat to the dock and headed into the city.

Jean and Constance were really excited. They wouldn't shut up about the places they had to see and it was driving the rest of the crew insane. "Will you two please shush it?" Jack said finally having enough.

"Sorry, but can we at least go to this place that serves the best gumbo?" Jean asked. His mind was always on food.

"Fine" Jack replied.

They followed him to a small café that barely had any customers at all. Jean walked up to the chief and asked for five bowls of gumbo. He did so, they handed him the money and sat down at a small table in a corner. Everyone dug in except Arabella. She just sat there staring at it. Jack looked up and noticed the sad look on her face.

"What's wrong, Belle?" he asked.

She looked up, "I'm just tired that's all."

Jack didn't push the subject any further. He figured if something was really bugging her, she would eventually say it in private or it could be just another mood swing.

When they were finished, they walked around the city and saw just about every place Jean and Constance had begged them to see. Soon, it was nightfall. "We should head back to the ship" Jack said. He didn't want to be in this crazy city at night.

"Good idea, we can always see the rest tomorrow" Jean said.

They headed back to the ship and they all went to their hammocks or beds. Jack lied down next to Arabella and put his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, luv?"

"We can't do this, Jack. We can't raise a child. What do we know about kids?" She had tears in her eyes.

"We'll just have to learn on the job. Besides, what's to know? You just make sure he or she doesn't get into any trouble. How hard can that be?"

"But we can't raise a child on this pathetic excuse for a boat."

He was a little offended at that complement. "Well, I guess we can settle down somewhere, after the baby's born." He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. He felt the baby kick Arabella really hard. "That child has an attitude."

Arabella smiled. She felt a little better, but she was still worried she was going to screw it up big time. Only time would tell.

**Author's notes: I know it's kinda boring, but the next chapter is a lot better, trust me.**


	5. Chapter: An Old Enemy

**Chapter 5: An Old Enemy**

**Chapter 5: An Old Enemy**

"How many more things are you going to make us look at Jean?" Jack asked in an annoyed tone. It was around noon and they were looking at the sights they had missed last night. Jack could really care less about what they were showing him, but he didn't say a thing about it. Arabella and Tumen pretended to be interested so they would hurt their friend's feelings.

"Actually, that's about it." He said just before he felt his stomach gurgle, "You think we could get some food now?"

"Something besides gumbo, that didn't really agree with the kid last night" Arabella said as her hand dropped to her stomach.

"You mean your child doesn't like gumbo?" Jean asked with a horrified look.

"Yeah, I think so" she replied.

"Oh that is so sad." Jean said while shacking his head.

"Can we please move on?" Jack asked even more annoyed.

They walked a little farther down the street to a café that was quite different than the last one. It was a bit bigger and it had more customers, but it was still not the fancy type. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and the chairs were a little sturdier than the other café's. Jean ordered five bowls of what looked like some sort of stew and handed them to the rest of the crew.

"Jean, is this that alligator stew that we got last time we came to New Orleans?" Arabella asked giving the stew a weird look.

"Of course not, it's turtle soup" he replied just before digging in like a pig.

Arabella pushed the bowl away from her. She may have eaten the alligator stew, but she was _not_ going to eat turtle soup especially when she was pregnant. Who knows what it could do to her unborn child or her stomach.

"Well, it can't be as bad as alligator." Tumen said putting a spoonful in his mouth, "It's not that bad."

Jack had already finished his and was now eyeing Arabella's. She pushed it in front of him which he had down in about three minutes.

"You're going to starve your child, Arabella" Constance said trying to see if she could get her fired up.

"Oh shut up" she mumbled.

"I'll be right back, mates" Jack said as he got up and left.

"Do ye fellows think we can go back to the ship when we're done here?" Arabella asked.

"I wouldn't mind going back to get a nap." Tumen said. He stretched so far back that he almost fell off his chair.

"Well, well, I didn't expect to see all of you here" said a voice from behind them. They all looked up and saw Fitzwilliam P. Dalton the III standing right behind them.

"Fitz, it's good to see you again" Jean said with a smile.

"It's nice to see you all as well." He greeted then he looked over at Arabella, "Arabella, I was hoping I would see you again someday."

She smiled up at him and then turned around. Jack had told her how Fitz had betrayed him to the East India Trading Company and the fact that he was working with them the whole time. She had a feeling that he was up to no good again what with the suspicious look in his eyes.

"Arabella, are you alright? You seem rather quiet." Fitz asked as he sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"She's just having a mood swing." Constance said with a smirk. Arabella glared up at her and would have punched her right in the jaw if Fitz wasn't here to stare at her swollen stomach.

Fitz gave Arabella a shocked look and noticed her round belly, "Arabella, you're pregnant?"

"Yeah, so what?" she replied, "Fitz, I need to talk to them in private for a minute." She said as she stood up and motioned for the crew to follow her to the back of the café. They did as they were told and she explained to them what Fitz was up to.

"So why does he want to capture Jack?" Constance asked.

"Because Jack's father is a pirate and they think every pirate's child will eventually become one themselves." Arabella replied.

"So in other words we need to get out of here." Tumen said.

"I'm with you on that, mate" Jack agreed as he walked up behind them, "Let's get out of here before that aristobrat finds us and sends us all to Davy Jones' Locker."

They went out the back way of the café and saw what looked like the whole Royal Navy outside it. "Let's go to the back alleys, they never look there." Jean said and led them to the deserted part of town. "This way should lead us back to_ the Fury._" He said as he led them down a filthy alleyway. They turned a corner and sure enough, there was _the Fury _bobbing in the water like a cork. They quickly made their way to it and immediately set sail.

"That was a close one" Jack said with a sigh as he steered away from the city.

"I thought we were all dead for a minute there." Tumen said as he picked up his navigation device, "Where do we go now, Captain?"

"Let's just get the bloody hell out of here." He replied.

"Aye, Aye Captain" Constance said and winked at Jack. Arabella tried not to punch the living daylights out of her, but if she did it again she wouldn't be able to stop herself.

A few days later, Arabella woke up with an awful stomach ache. She was so nauseas she could barely sit up. She turned to see if Jack was awake yet. He was already gone so she just lied back down and tried to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the baby wasn't in the mood to sleep so he or she started kicking Arabella even harder than the last time. Arabella moaned as she placed her hand on her stomach, "Please just leave mommy alone." She muttered under her breath.

"Tumen, has Arabella woken up yet?" Jack asked as he looked around deck for his wife. She was usually up before he was and it was almost 10:00. She never slept that late. He wondered if something was wrong which was making a little nervous.

"I don't know, maybe she's just in the galley or something."

Jack went below to see for himself. She wasn't in the galley so he checked the cabin. "Arabella, are you still asleep?" he asked as he opened the door.

She turned on her side and looked up at him. "I'm not feeling so good, so I'm just going to rest a little longer to see if that helps."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, I'll be on deck if ye need me." He said and closed the door behind him. He went up on deck and found the rest of the crew staring straight ahead.

"Jack, I think I see something on the horizon." Jean said squinting in that direction.

"Let's have a look." He said as he pulled out his telescope and saw the all too familiar Jolly Roger fluttering in the wind, "Oh bugger"

"What is it?" Tumen asked. He and the others were staring at him with nervous looks.

The ship was gaining on them and fast. "Just stay calm and let me do the talking." Jack said trying to sound sure of himself. He knew why he was coming after him. Word travels fast in the Caribbean.

"Jack, whose ship is that?" Constance asked

"Just keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking, savvy?" Jack said as he kept staring at the ship known as the _Misty Lady_.

The ship was soon right next to them and on deck was a tall pirate with long brown hair in dreadlocks and a red jacket that was so long it looked more like a robe. He had a ring on almost every finger and a tricorner hat on his head. He looked straight down at Jack with a calm look on his face, "I didn't think I'd find you all the way out here."

"Well, it's a long story." Jack replied rather calmly. The crew on the other hand was the exact opposite as they stared at the rather large pirate ship.

"One I would like to hear as soon as we have the Royal Navy off our tails." Teague said

"But the Navy has no idea where I am right now so we don't have to worry about that." Jack responded still keeping his cool.

"Guess again, Jackie." Teague said as he motioned behind him. There were about four very large Navy ships only a few leagues away. "You may want to gather your little friends and get on before they blow your boat right out of the water."

"And what makes you think my ship can't survive?" Jack asked putting his hands on his hips.

Teague gave him a knowing look, "Remember what happened last time?"

"Aye," He replied with a sigh .He couldn't risk it. Besides his small boat would never be able to outrun the Royal Navy and he couldn't risk his crew's lives especially Arabella's and his child's. "We'll come willingly." He said and motioned for the crew to board Teague's ship.

"Jack, are you nuts? He'll kill us." Jean whispered.

"No he won't." Jack replied as a gangplank was lowered between the two vessels.

"How can you be sure?" Constance asked as she was shook with fear.

"He's me dad." He said as he motioned for them to board the ship, "I'm going to go get Arabella." He said before he walked down to the cabin and opened the door. "Belle, we have to abandon ship."

She looked up at him with a scared look on her face, "What do ye mean? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." He said as he grabbed her hand, pulled her up the stairs, and up the gangplank to the _Misty Lady_.

"Jack, please tell me that they're not going to kill us." She whispered when she saw all the pirates. She stayed close to him as they reached the deck of the _Lady_.

"They won't. Me dad is the captain." Jack whispered back.

"Oh" she said as Jack made her sit down on a barrel next to the rest of the crew of_ the Fury_. Teague ordered his crew to get them out of there and when he was finished, he turned to Jack. "Ye mind telling me that long story now?"

"Alright" Jack told him about what had happened in Tortuga and Captain Smith forcing him to marry Arabella and everything else that had happened in the past few months.

When he was finished, Teague just sighed, "So now you got yourself a pregnant wife and a crew of teenagers?"

"Aye, so if you don't mind, could you please lose those royal pains and get us to the next port?"

Teague sighed, "Jackie, after we lose them we're going to Shipwreck Cove. They're going to be hunting both of us for quite some time and that's the only place they can't get to."

"Please tell me ye're joking." Jack pleaded. He didn't like it there even though that was the place where he grew up, but that's why he didn't like it, although nobody would like growing up in a shooting shack with a mob of crazy pirates for a family.

"I'm not joking. Besides you need to get yer woman to land as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"How far along is she?"

Jack hadn't thought about that in a while. He had been too busy trying to get them away from the Navy. "Almost nine months."

"Exactly, speaking of your woman, you should probably take her to one of the extra cabins."

Jack looked over at Arabella. She didn't look too well and she was sweating as the hot sun beat down on her tired face. He quickly walked over to her. "Belle, come with me. You need to get out of the sun." She nodded as she got up and followed him to one of the cabins. It was similar to the one on _the Fury _except it didn't have a mirror.

"Jack, where is he taking us?" She asked

"To Shipwreck Cove" he replied

"Another pirate town?"

"Well, it's one town the Navy can't get into."

She lied down on the bed and closed her eyes. She knew she could have the baby any day now, but she didn't want to have him or her in a pirate town or on a pirate ship, but it looked like she didn't have much of a choice.

Jack slowly walked back up on deck. It looked like the Navy wasn't going to be able to catch up to them any time soon so he sat down on the deck with a sigh. He didn't want to go home not with his very pregnant wife. The last thing he wanted was for her to have their baby in his hometown, but it looked like that that was going to happen. There was nothing he could do to stop that without putting her and the baby in danger. He knew it was better to have the baby in Shipwreck Cove then to have both Arabella and the baby die. "Thinking about yer bride?" Jack looked up and saw Teague standing next to him.

"Yeah"

Teague shook his head slowly, "I never pictured you doing something like that."

"Ye never know what happens when ye've had too much to drink." Jack mumbled

Teague chuckled, "So what are you going to call her?"

Jack glared up at his father, "What makes you so sure it's a her?"

"I just know these things."

"Sure" Jack said with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't question me knowledge, boy."

"We'll just wait and see whose right." Jack said as he stared out at the sea.

"We probably won't have to wait long." Teague said with a sigh.

Jack hoped it wouldn't happen until they got to Shipwreck Cove. Nobody on this ship knew anything about delivering a baby. And being on a ship probably wouldn't help either.

**Author's notes: Hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think.**


	6. Chapter: Shipwreck Cove

**Chapter 6: Shipwreck Cove**

**Chapter 6: Shipwreck Cove**

A week later the _Misty Lady_ made port at Shipwreck Cove. It was ten times worse than Tortuga and the whole town was made of wrecked ships that reeked of fish and a lot of other smells that you don't want to know about.

The crew of the _Misty Lady_ unloaded the ship and went on their way (probably to the taverns) while Teague led Jack and his crew to something that looked like a shack/ship. Jack didn't look to happy to be home and he was being very protective of Arabella in this town. I feel sorry for any sap who would even try to get near her.

Teague opened the door to the shack that was the Sparrow house and motioned the crew inside. The floor was covered in broken rum bottles, the room they first walked into had a large, dirty table surrounded by weird looking chairs. People were shouting in the next room and they could hear them punching and smacking each other. This is exactly what any pirate would call home, but to Jack it was a living hell. "Teague!" a voice said from the other room. A minute later, a middle-aged brunette walked in. She was wearing an old brown dress with a filthy white apron on top of it, "Ye said you would be back in two weeks, well it's been a whole month!"

"Woman, calm down. It took a little longer to find him than I expected." Teague said as he grabbed a bottle of rum from the shelf.

The woman then turned to Jack. She was really angry, but Jack didn't seem scared at all. Instead he just stood there in front of her with a calm look on his face. "Where have ye been? I was worried sick when I heard you had gotten into some serious trouble." The woman hissed.

"I was where I wanted to be." Jack replied as he inspected the dirt in his nails.

"Don't sass me, boy. Ye maybe eighteen, but I can still whip you if I had to." She responded and then turned her attention to Arabella, "Whose this?"

"Jackie's wife" Teague said while heading toward the kitchen.

She looked up at Jack with wide eyes, "This is the trouble ye got into? Getting a girl pregnant?"

"Yes, mum" Jack replied rather annoyed.

"There has to be more. I was worried someone was trying to kill you."

"Technically, her mother wanted me dead, but instead she put a gun to me head and forced me to marry her."

"Serves ye right for yer stupidity, young man." She then turned to Arabella, "What's yer name?"

"Arabella" she replied.

"Captain Smith's daughter?" Jack's mother, Kayla asked.

"Aye"

"No wonder you did what she said." she mumbled to Jack. Then she looked behind her son and noticed the three teenagers, "Who are they?"

"My crew"

"Two small boys and a girl?" Kayla asked raising an eyebrow.

"It was a small ship." Jack said with a shrug.

She sighed and then looked at Arabella, "How far along are ye?"

"Nine months" Arabella muttered.

Kayla's eyes widened. "Oh honey, ye should probably lie down. Jackie, take her upstairs while I tell the rest of these animals."

"Mum don't" Jack pleaded.

"They're going to find out sometime, might as well just tell them." She said before she went into the room where everybody was either trying to punch one another or knock each other out.

Jack grabbed Arabella's hand and started walking towards the stairs, "Come on, I need to get out of here before they know I'm back."

"Jack, your family can't be that bad." Jean said. Just then they heard glass shatter and a loud bang like somebody had been knocked out.

"Yes they can be." Jack said as he led his crew to a room that held a couple of hammocks. "You may want to try and relax before things really start to get crazy down there." He said before Tumen, Jean, and Constance walked into the room and shut the door.

Jack led Arabella to a small room that had a full-sized bed and an old desk. It was clean, but the window was boarded up so looking out over the town was not an option. When she saw the bed, she immediately collapsed onto it, "What exactly will yer family do when they find out about the baby?"

"We'll probably get the 'what's-going-to-happen-in-the-next-few-months' speech. They'll probably pock fun at me and play a couple of practical jokes on me, but that should be it." Jack said with a groan.

"It doesn't sound that bad." Arabella said as she touched her swollen stomach.

"Trust me, luv, it's bad."

"No, I mean for me." She said with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes and lied down next to her "Just so you know we're not going to be here very long."

"Just long enough for the Navy to back off and for me to have the baby, right?"

"Right" He leaned in and was about to kiss her lips. When they heard a voice shouting at them from downstairs.

"Jackie! Get down here and show off yer new bride!" He heard his brother scream.

Jack sneered, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I don't think I've got a choice." She said as she tried to get up, but again her belly was in the way. Jack got up and pulled her off the bed. This was becoming a usual thing for them. They walked downstairs and into the main room where his brother was waiting.

"Where did you find a girl like that?" his brother asked taking a good look at Arabella.

"Tortuga" Jack replied, "Arabella, this is me brother, Jim."

"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Belle." Jim said as he grabbed his brother's arm and dragged them to where the rest of the Sparrows were. "Oui! Jackie's got a bride!"

Everybody turned and saw Jack, Arabella, and then they saw her stomach, "Well, somebody was busy while he was gone" said his cousin, Jenna.

"At least _I_ was doing something besides shooting Grandmamma" He sassed

"At least_ I_ didn't run away." She sassed back.

"Oh shut it, the both of you." Teague said and then he turned to his wife. "Kayla, shouldn't you be in the kitchen making dinner."

"I'll make dinner when I _feel_ like making it!" She replied.

"Well, you feel like it now." Teague said through clenched teeth.

"Ye wish"

Jack rolled his eyes; this was your average day in the Sparrow residence. Everybody bickering about this or that and then they eventually start shooting each other. And before you knew it, a brawl has been started.

Well, he wasn't going to wait and have them try to kill him and Arabella. So he and Arabella left before all hell broke loose. They quickly ran up the stairs and back to the bedroom before anybody noticed they were gone. "Well, I guess dinner will be late." Arabella said as she plopped down on the bed.

"It always is, unless mum is knocked out then, its self serve." Jack said, "Has the baby been kicking lately?"

"No which is weird. This child usually kicks me about every few hours or so. Ye don't think anything is wrong do you?" she asked with a worried look on her face.

"I wouldn't be the one to ask. I know nothing about that sort of thing." He replied motioning to her belly.

"Who would? Jack, we're going to have to find a midwife soon."

"Don't worry me mother has done that plenty of times."

"But what if she's knocked out?"

"Good question…" he pretended to think for a minute, "I don't know, darling."

"Oh, that makes me feel really good." She said sarcastically as she lied back on the pillow with a sigh, "What are we going to call him or her?"

"Jack if it's a boy and Jaclyn if it's a girl." Jack said with his evil grin.

She gave him a flat look, "Over me dead body."

"What? It's a good name."

"I'm not going to name me child Jaclyn."

"Whoever said it was a girl?"

She just shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I guess I was just hoping for a girl."

Jack thought for a moment. If he had a girl, he would have to shoot all the lads that got too close. Not to mention the fact that he didn't know a thing about girls and they kind of scared him sometimes. What did he know about girls besides the fact that they like girly things? _"Well, it might be fun to chase off the boys that come after her."_ He thought.

"What's wrong with ye?" she asked. It wasn't like Jack to be quiet.

He shook his head as he came back to reality, "I was just thinking about all the lads I would have to shoot if they got near her."

Arabella gave him the look, "If me mother had done that you wouldn't be standing here.

"That doesn't mean I can't shoot them."

She laughed and then moaned as she grabbed her stomach. "She just kicked really hard."

Jack glared at his wife, "If it's a boy, you will never tell him that ye called him a girl."

**Author's notes: Poor Jack, everybody thinks Arabella's going to have a girl. Please review and tell me what you think.**


	7. Chapter: The Little Sparrow

**Chapter 7: The Little Sparrow**

**Chapter 7: The Little Sparrow**

The next morning, Jack was woken up by the loud banging on his door. He tried to block out the annoying banging by pulling the pillow over his head, but that didn't work at all. "Jackie! Breakfast is ready and if we don't get down there soon they'll eat yer portion as well as mine!" Jim shouted as he burst through the door and pulled the pillow off his little brother's head. "GET UP!" he screamed in his ear.

"Alright, I'm up!" Jack shouted, got up and put on a shirt. He stomped downstairs and sat down at the end of the table as Jim sat next to Constance.

"Well, we haven't been introduced yet, I'm Jim Sparrow, Jackie's older brother." He said with a wink and kissed her hand.

"I'm Constance." She said in a flirty tone. Jack sighed with relief. He was glad she was flirting with his brother instead of him. He was surprised she didn't creep Jim out. Oh well, at least Jim would take her attention of tormenting Arabella every two minutes.

"Good morning, sleepy head" Arabella said as she sat down next to Jack.

"Sorry, I just didn't get much sleep last night because _somebody_ wouldn't go to sleep." Jack said giving Arabella a look.

"You try and sleep while someone's kicking you." She said while motioning to her stomach," She was kicking up a storm last night."

"She probably wants out." Jim said

"He" Jack said. He still didn't think she was having a girl and he was getting rather annoyed that they were calling his son a girl.

"Jackie, she's having a girl." His mother said as she put a plate of eggs on the table.

"How would ye know?" Jack asked

"I've seen plenty of pregnant women not to mention I've had three kids." She said just before she went and sat at the other end of the table next to Teague.

They all dug in and ate like…well…like pirates. So, there was a big mess when everybody was finished. Jim and Constance went off to who-knows where and the rest of the family except Kayla and Arabella went outside to probably start a brawl. Teague dragged Jack to a back room to have a little talk with him. He was probably trying to talk him into staying in Shipwreck Cove after the baby was born while Kayla started to clean up the horrible mess the pirates left behind and Arabella did the same. "Arabella, ye don't have to help me clean up this mess." She said as she started to sweep the floor.

"Ye shouldn't have to do all of this on yer own" Arabella said as she started to gather the dirty dishes.

"If only rest of these dolts thought like that." Kayla muttered as she swept under the table.

Arabella laughed as she took the dirty dishes to the kitchen. Kayla wasn't has bad as she had expected and she knew a lot about kids. She told her that it wasn't as bad as it seemed and she also told her that the minute she laid eyes on her child, nothing would ever be the same again.

"How long are ye going to be in dreamland, Belle?" Kayla asked when she walked into the room.

"Sorry" Arabella said as she turned back to the dishes.

"It's alright. I'm just glad someone decided to help without me having to beg them." She said as she patted Arabella on the shoulder and headed back to get the rest of the dishes.

Arabella turned back to the sink and started washing the dishes. Suddenly, she felt something running down her leg. Then a sharp pain ripped through her stomach. Arabella's eyes widened when she realized what was happening. "Oh god" she muttered under her breath.

Kayla walked into the kitchen with more dishes and set them on the counter as Arabella stood there with her hand on her stomach. "Arabella, what's wrong?" Kayla asked as she put her hand on Arabella's shoulder.

"I think it's time." Arabella said as another sharp pain ripped through her. She groaned as her other hand went to her stomach.

"Ye're definitely right." Kayla said as she helped Arabella to a chair that sat in the corner, "Just sit here while I get Jackie." She said before she ran to the study and flung the door open. "Jackie, help me get Arabella upstairs. She's having the baby." She quickly said.

His face turned pale as he immediately ran past her and into the kitchen. "It's going to be okay, Belle." He said as he picked her up and followed his mother to the bedroom.

Arabella griped his shoulder even more tightly as another contraction ripped through her while Jack carried her up the stairs. "Hurry up" she demanded through clenched teeth.

"I'm hurrying, Belle." Jack said as he practically ran down the hall.

Kayla was already in their room propping pillows up for Arabella. "Put her on the bed and go get me some water, cloths, towels, and the scissors."

"Scissors?!" Jack asked with wide eyes. He didn't know they were going to have to cut on his wife.

"They're for the umbilical cord." She said with a roll of her eyes. Soon-to-be-fathers never had their heads when their wives were giving birth. He snapped out of it and did as he was told. "Arabella, breathe" Kayla said while keeping staying calm. She had obviously done this plenty of times before. Arabella breathed as best as she could but it wasn't helping. The pain was unbearable. "Good, now I'm going to have to take a look. Keep breathing." Kayla said as she lifted Arabella's skirt.

Arabella screamed at the top of her lungs as she had another contraction. The breathing wasn't helping at all. She had never felt this kind of pain in her entire life. She also felt an urge that made her either want Jack or kill him for doing this to her. But as more pain came, she wanted him by her side.

After what felt like hours, Jack finally came in carrying everything his mother had asked for. "Now what?" he asked. He was ten times as nervous as he was when Captain Smith had held a gun to his head or if Davy Jones was standing right in front of him.

"Wet one of those cloths and put it on her head." Kayla ordered as she washed her hands.

He did so, and then he sat behind Arabella while gently rubbing her shoulders trying his best to calm her down. "It's going to be alright, Belle." He said as he took her hand. She squeezed it as the pain increased and leaned into him his chest.

"How long is going to take?" Arabella said between breaths.

"I think it will be a while" Kayla replied.

Arabella moaned and Jack kissed her cheek. "Yer doing fine, this will be over soon."

* * *

**Three hours later**

"You can do this, Belle. Just breathe." He said as another contraction came.

Arabella felt anger welling up inside her as he told her that for the three millionth time in the past three hours. She squeezed his hand even harder and made him squeal, "If ye tell me to breathe one more time, I swear I'll rip you in two!" she screamed as the pain increased.

Kayla took another look before shaking her head, "Everything's fine, but it'll still be a while.

Arabella groaned as her head fell back on Jack's chest. He continued to rub her shoulders as the seconds turned to minutes and the minutes turned to hours.

* * *

**Two hours later**

"Kayla, I think it's happening." Arabella moaned as another contraction came.

"I need to take another look." Kayla said as she lifted the sheet, "Yep, Belle, it's time for you to push." Kayla said. Arabella screamed so loud, Jack was sure his eardrum had just exploded. "Come on, Belle, I can see the head." Kayla encouraged.

"Ye're doing fine." Jack said as Arabella began to push again. She let out another ear splitting scream as she pushed for the third time.

"Just one more and it'll be all over." Kayla shouted over Arabella's screams.

"I CAN'T!" She screamed. It was too painful. This was just too much for her to take. She felt as if she was going to die.

"Yes you can, Belle." Jack whispered in her ear as he continued to rub her shoulders, "Come on, luv. You can do this."

"Push Belle" Kayla demanded.

Arabella felt a surge of strength as she pushed as hard as her exhausted body would allow. But that was all she needed for just as her last bit of strength was used, she heard the most beautiful sound that had ever come to her ears, her baby's first cry.

"It's a girl." Kayla said with a smile. Arabella fell back on Jack's chest as tears ran down her sweaty and tired face. She closed her eyes for a minute as Kayla cut the cord and wrapped the baby tightly in a blanket.

"Are you alright, luv?" Jack asked Arabella. She opened her eyes and nodded as a smile spread across her face. They had a daughter. That one sentence sounded so strange to her and yet it sounded so…wonderful.

Jack couldn't hide his smile as Kayla placed his daughter in her mother's arms. A feeling of pure joy spread through his entire body as he stared at his child. She was so small and tiny, it scared him. He was worried she was going to break any minute.

Arabella looked down at the tiny baby that slept peacefully in her arms. Tears of joy ran down her face as she cradled that baby in her arms. Arabella knew right there and then that Kayla was right. Nothing was ever going to be the same from now on.

The new parents stared lovingly at their newborn child as she slept in her mother's arms. She was small, but very healthy. She had dark brown hair that was beginning to curl as well as her mother's nose and her father's mouth.

Kayla stared at the couple with a smile as they marveled at their little miracle, "I'll leave you three alone for a while." She said just as she walked out of the room.

"What are we going to call her?" Arabella asked Jack still not taking her eyes off her beautiful child.

"I already told you, her name is Jaclyn." Jack said with a smirk on his face.

Arabella gave him the look, "And I already told ye that we weren't going to name our child that."

"Fine," Jack said in defeat, "Than I say we call her Rose."

Arabella smiled, "I like that."

"Rose Arabella Sparrow" Jack whispered as they continued to stare at their little daughter. Just then, Rose opened her eyes for the very first time. They were as brown as her father's and had that sparkle in them as well. Jack was rather delighted to see himself in his child.

Arabella looked up at Jack, "She has her father's eyes."

"And her mother's attitude." He said. Arabella gave him the look which just made him smile just before he kissed her. "I love you, Belle." He said after they broke the kiss.

"I love you too." She whispered as she leaned into him and looked down at her little baby. "Jack, it's yer turn to hold her." She said as she handed him the baby. He was a little hesitant at first, but he eventually relaxed.

Jack held his little girl like she was a porcelain doll that could break the minute you dropped it. She stared up at him with her little brown eyes as if she was trying to figure out who he was. He stuck his finger in her little hand as she stared up at him. She grasped his finger in her tiny ones as she closed her eyes. She let out a yawn as she snuggled closer to her father who was grinning like a fool.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, "Is it safe to come in?" Jim sarcastically asked.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Aye"

Teague, Kayla, Jim, and Jack's little sister, Jessa all piled into the room to see the new Sparrow. When Jim saw the child, he got an evil smirk on his face, "She's way too pretty to be Jackie's kid." That remark got him a slap up side the head from Teague. Now was not the time for a brotherly fight.

"What's her name?" Jessa asked.

"Rose Arabella Sparrow" Arabella replied finally taking her eyes off the baby.

"I'm surprised Jackie didn't name her Jaclyn." Kayla said as she looked at her little granddaughter. Jack let Kayla take her for a minute cause his arms were starting to hurt.

"He tried, but I wouldn't let him." Arabella said just glad that it was over.

"Just so ye know if the next one is a boy, his name _will_ be Jack" Jack demanded giving Arabella a look.

"Who said there will be a next one?" Arabella asked not wanting to do that again.

"Oh trust me, ye'll want another one sooner or later." Kayla said. Rose was beginning to get fussy so Kayla handed her back to Arabella. "Ye may want to feed her before she really starts screaming." She said and motioned for the others to follow her out of the room. They all quickly left the new parents alone again probably not wanting to see Arabella feed the baby.

"Jack, turn yer head." Arabella said as she grabbed a cloth from the night stand.

"How bout I just go downstairs?" Jack asked. He really didn't want to see this.

"Okay, but ye do know they will be on yer tail."

"Yes I know, but I really don't want to see you feed the baby." He said just before turning to go downstairs. He felt prepared for all the practical jokes and the poking fun of. Jenna and Constance made as many jokes as they possibly could and Jim kept telling him about the sleepless nights that were ahead. Jack knew Jim didn't know what he was talking about, but Teague didn't mind telling him what was going to happen in the next few years. Fatherhood was looking better by the minute.

"Dad, I really don't want to hear anything else about the next few years." Jack said when he had finally had enough.

"I'm just warning you." Teague replied as he lit up his pipe.

"Teague take that thing outside! I've told ye a million times not to light that stupid thing in me house especially if there is a new baby here." Kayla demanded as she cleaned the table.

"It won't hurt that child." Teague responded as he puffed a cloud of smoke from the awful smiling pipe.

Kayla coughed and waved the smoke out of her face, "That's exactly what ye said when Jim was born and now look at him. He's insane like his father."

"At least he's not a nag like his mother." Teague spat back.

"Oh, don't start that again."

Jack was not interested in sitting here listening to his parents bicker about stupid stuff so he got up and headed to the den or should I say the shooting room. He sat down on one of the chairs near the corner of the room and watched the fight that was going on between his uncle, Captain 'Ace' Brannigan and his second aunt, 'Quick Draw' McFleming. "Have you lost your mind yet?" Jack looked up and saw Jean standing in front of him.

"I lost me mind years ago." Jack mumbled in reply.

"At least you have a family. Constance is all I've got." Jean said as he plopped down beside his friend.

"Speaking of which, Constance is making out with Jim right behind you." Jean turned around and saw his sister sucking face with Jack's brother. "Oui! If you two keep doing that ye'll end up like me and Belle." Jack yelled so everybody could hear. Jessa giggled and Jenna smiled an evil grin, while everybody else just stared at them. Jim and Constance blushed as they quickly left the room.

"I guess I'm not the only one that has a sister who is being chased after." Jean said with a smile.

"What do ye mean?" Jack asked giving him a curious look.

"Tumen has a little crush on Jessa."

"My Jessa?" Jack asked as his eyes widened. He'd kill Tumen if he made a wrong move on his baby sister.

"That's the one." Jean said still smiling.

"You tell him to leave me baby sister alone." Jack ordered as his eyes narrowed.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, mon ami. Jessa has been completely ignoring him since he got here."

"Well, that's Jessa for you, but if he tries anything I'll kill him."

"Jim is the older brother. Shouldn't he be the one to kill Tumen?" Jean asked

Jack smirked, "He's too busy making out with _your_ sister." Jack said as he tried to hold back a laugh. Jean quickly turned around and left the room probably to go tell Jim to back off.

Not long after he left, Kayla walked in with a tray of food, "Jackie, take this to Arabella. She's probably starving."

"Fine" He said as he took the tray and went to his room. "How are we doing?" He asked as he walked in.

"We're doing fine." Arabella replied with a smile. Rose was fast asleep in her arms. Jack knew that wasn't going to last long.

"Mum figured you would be starving after your rough day." Jack said as he laid the tray next to her and took Rose.

"It's going to get rougher." Arabella said as she started to down the food faster than she usually would. Giving birth had made her very hungry.

Jack gently put Rose in the cradle Jim had brought in from the storage room, but the minute he did she started to fuss as if saying 'get me out of this thing'. He groaned as he slowly rocked it a little bit hoping she would just go back to sleep. That wasn't the case. Soon she was screaming her gusts out so Jack picked her up and started rocking her in his arms. She immediately stopped crying and snuggled closer to him just before closing her little brown eyes. "I don't think she likes that thing." Jack stated as he sat next to Arabella.

Arabella shook her head, "She just likes to be held is all."

"You stubborn child." Jack whispered to Rose who was still out like a light.

Arabella chuckled, "Just like her father."

"She may have my stubbornness, but she has yer temper."

"That will definitely get her in trouble one day." She said with a smile as she thought about what Rose was going to be like when she was older. She knew Rose was going to be one tough little missy and more than likely she would be more interested in swords and ships than dolls and ribbons. She would probably be just like her father one day.

Rose fidgeted in Jack's arms and then started to cry. Poor Jack didn't know what the heck he was doing, "Belle, what does she want now?" he asked as he tried to rock her back to sleep. But she would have none of it.

"Give her to me." Arabella said as Rose continued to wail in her naïve father's arms. He quickly handed her the baby as she screamed even louder. "I think she might be wet." She said as she looked up at Jack.

Jack gave her a freaked out look, "What? I don't know how to do that sort of thing."

"Ye just take it off her, clean her, and then ye put another one on her." She said as she handed her back to Jack. He reluctantly got up and gently placed the crying infant on the table. Jack made it look like it was the hardest thing in the world to do. Rose just screamed until he finally wrapped her in the blanket again. "Now was that so hard?" Arabella asked knowingly.

"It would have been easier if she hadn't screamed so much." He said as he handed her back to Arabella.

"She just doesn't know what's going on." She said and kissed her child's head.

Jack raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said ye didn't know much about kids."

"I guess it's just instinct." Arabella said with a shrug.

"Sure, luv" He said as he sat down next to her and quickly put his arm around his exhausted wife. "How long do ye think it will be before I have to start shooting boys?"

"I'd say about twelve years."

Jack looked a little disappointed, "Only twelve?"

"Aye Daddy" Arabella replied with a smirk. Oh, it was going to be a riot when Rose got her first crush.

Jack looked down at his sleeping daughter, "Let's get one thing straight, Missy. I'm the only man in your life."

Arabella gave him a flat look, "Ye honestly think that's going to work?"

"It should." Jack said innocently.

Soon there was a knock on the door signaling more visitors. Jean opened it a little and popped his head in, "Mind if we come in?" he asked.

"Come on in, everybody." Arabella replied. Jean, Tumen, and Constance slowly walked over to the bed and took a look at the new edition to the already large Sparrow family.

"She looks like her father." Jean said with a small smile as he gazed at the little bundle of joy.

"Poor kid" Tumen said with a grin. Jack stuck his tongue out at him in a childlike manner.

"Oh, that's very mature." Arabella said sarcastically.

Jack ignored her little comment, "Tumen, what's this I hear about you chasing me little sister?" Jack asked giving him a 'you're dead' look.

"Uh…uh…" Tumen stuttered, "Okay, I'll admit it, I like your sister, but she hates my guts so please don't kill me." He almost begged.

"Maybe I will and maybe I won't." Jack replied.

Constance chuckled, "If you're that bad with your sister, what's going to happen when Rose gets her first crush?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"I'll shoot him." Jack replied flatly.

"No you won't" Arabella said.

"Why not?" he asked

"Because she'll beg you not to do it." Arabella said as she looked down at her sleeping baby.

"We'll see about that" Jack muttered under his breath. He was never going to let some perverted boy anywhere near his little girl. And that was that.

**Author's notes: Please, please, please, review.**


	8. Chapter: The Joys of Parenthood

**Chapter 8: The Joys of Parenthood**

At 4:00 in the morning, everyone in the Sparrow house/shack was out either by exhaustion or from the drink. However, that was not the case for the young couple who had only been parents for a week. After what felt like hours, Arabella had finally gotten back to sleep when little Rose begin to cry… again. Arabella groaned as she pulled the pillow over her head and tried to block out the newborn's cries, but Jack disrupted her sleep by shaking her shoulder, "Belle, go calm her down." he grumbled, his face buried in his pillow.

"Why don't ye calm her down? I've been doing it all week and ye have been snoring like a pig the whole time." Arabella said as she pushed his hand away.

"She may be hungry and you know very well that I can't fix that." Jack whined.

"I just fed her. That leaves you no other excuse." Arabella groaned

Jack rolled his eyes as he got out of bed, grumbling about how his father was right about the 'sleepless night'. He hoped they weren't getting any sleep from the baby's cries either. Rose never seemed to want to sleep during the night since she did it most of the time unless she was hungry. Then all hell broke loss.  
As he walked over to the cradle, he wasn't sure what the heck he was going to do to calm her down. He gently picked up his crying child and patted her back, "Can't you give daddy a break?" he grumbled as he sat on the bed, trying to rock her back to sleep. After a few minutes, she stopped crying, but now she was unfortunately wide awake. Jack wasn't exactly sure what to do next, so he just lied back down and laid her on top of him while rubbing her back to keep her calm. His eyelids became very heavy and he was unable to resist sleep any longer.

When Arabella woke up the next morning, she couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her. Rose was fast asleep on her father's chest as he continued to snore. Chuckling quietly to herself, she gently nudged Jack's shoulder, "That's the longest she's slept since she was born." Arabella said, taking the baby off Jack's chest as his eyes fluttered open.

He groggily sat up and ran his fingers through his dirty brown hair, "How much longer do you think it will be before she sleeps through the night?" he asked, still trying to wake up.

"I have no idea." She said, grabbing the baby blanket so she could nurse Rose.

"Belle, do ye think you're up to leaving?" He asked, wondering if it was a good idea since Arabella had given birth only a week ago.

Arabella looked over at him while wondering the exact same thing, "Do you think we can without the Royal Navy being a problem?" she asked shifting Rose in her arms.

"I think they won't notice us. Besides, it was Teague they were after. We haven't committed any crimes so we _should_ be fine."

"If you say so, then again it would be a good idea to get her out of here. I don't think this is a very good place for a child her size."

"I can't agree more. Plus I really want to get away from the rest of these…pirates." He said, getting up off the bed and grabbing his shirt. He decided he and his crew would leave tomorrow morning and probably head somewhere where he and Arabella could settle for a little while without getting caught by the navy or the East India Trading Company.

* * *

The next morning, as they gathered enough supplies Teague was trying everything to talk Jack out of leaving. He knew they didn't have a chance with the navy or the East India Trading Company, "Jackie, I really don't think this is a good idea." Teague said as Jack and his crew were loading the rest of the supplies.

"We'll be fine." He said while dropping the crate in the small hole on the _Fury._

Teague then thought of an argument that would do the just the trick, "Think about what's best for Rosie." He said as Jack walked past him and back up to the deck of his 'ship'.

"I _am_ thinking about what's best for Rosie. That's why we're leaving." He said as he checked to make sure he got everything.

Jack's father sighed as he realized there was no way he was going to get into his son's thick skull, "You just watch your back and don't trust anyone." Teague said rather sternly. The last thing he wanted to see was his son and his family dead.

"Once we leave here, I'm taking Belle and Rosie to a place where we can settle down without worrying about the stupid Royal Navy. Don't bother trying to talk me out of it. I've made up my mind." Jack said as he leaned on the railing of his…vessel.

"Just watch your back and take care of my granddaughter." Teague said, slapping Jack on the back before walking back to the house or shack whatever you want to call it.

Jack quickly turned back to his crew after the short discussion, "Please tell me that's everything."

"Aye, it is, Jackie." Jim said as he walked up the gangplank with the last crate.

"Well then, goodbye Jim." Jack said as he walked past him and up to the helm.

"Actually Jackie, I'm going with you." Jim said as he set the crate down.

Jack quickly turned around, glaring at the smug look on his brother's face, "Oh no, ye're not."

"Yes I am." Jim insisted, the smug smirk never leaving his face as he watched his little brother's face turn red with frustration.

"The only reason you want to come is so you can make out with Constance." Jack said, still glaring at his stupid, older brother.

"That and keep an eye on you and Jessa." Jim said examining the dirt in his nails.

Jack rolled his eyes. He'd never take his baby sister with him since she was in fact a whiner and a tad annoying, "Jessa isn't going so I see no need to worry about that."

"Guess again" Jessa said as she walked up the gangplank to join her brothers.

"Aren't you a little young to leave home? Won't Mum be worried about her baby girl?" Jack said with a smug grin on his face.

Jessa just stuck her tongue at her bossy brother as she walked to the other end of the boat.  
Jack turned to Jim with a scowl on his face, "Alright, you two can come, but let's get one thing straight, I'm in charge and what I say goes, savvy?"

"Whatever you say, _Jackie_." Jim said smugly as he walked off.

"It's Captain to you." Jack demanded which just made Jim laugh out loud.

* * *

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the crew of the _Fury _set sail. It wasn't too long before Shipwreck Cove was just a small speck on the horizon. The wind blew Arabella's red curls behind her as she walked around the deck with the small baby in her arms. Slowly, she walked over to the railing and gazed out over the open ocean in front of her. As she stood there, she felt someone walk up beside her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jack standing next to her looking down at Rose, "What think of the ocean, Rosie?" he asked, slight smile on his face. As if in response, Rose made a cooing sound as she stared into her father's eyes.

A smile made its way across Arabella's face as she looked down at her beautiful child, "I have a feeling we're going to have to live near the ocean." She said while slowly rocking the baby in her arms.

"Well, that's not just for her. I don't like being landlocked." Jack said as he wrapped his arm around his wife. They had definitely grown a lot closer since that night in Tortuga and it wasn't just because of the baby now fast asleep in Arabella's arms.

"That makes two of us." Arabella said as she looked up at Jack's tanned face.

"No, that makes three of us." He said as he stuck his finger in Rose's little hand which made her grip it tightly.

Arabella gently placed the baby in his arms, "I need a break." She muttered as she turned to go below deck.

"I'm not so sure you want to do that, luv." Jack said, looking at her nervously.

She turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"Because I still don't really know what I'm doing." He admitted, still with a very nervous look on his face.

Arabella rolled her eyes at his pathetic look, "Right now ye just need to keep an eye on her. It's not like ye have to stay up all night with her." She said just before walking below.

Jack looked down at his infant daughter hoping she wasn't going to cry and embarrass him in front of his 'crew', "Please go easy on me." He begged as he stared into her big brown eyes that were so much like his own. As if in response, she yawned and snuggled into his chest before closing her eyes and falling asleep.  
Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over to a barrel and sat down slowly, not wanting to wake her up. Even after a week, he still didn't know much about babies and yet here he was a father of a week old little girl.

"How is she?" Jessa asked as she walked up to her brother. She smiled down at her sleeping niece as she stood there waiting for her brother's answer.

"She's fine for now." Jack replied while pulling the blanket tighter around his sleeping daughter.

"Can I hold her?" Jessa asked, holding out her arms. She liked nothing better than to spoil her niece with attention.

Jack put gently the baby her arms as stared at his sister, "What's this I hear about you and Tumen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"There's nothing going on. I don't even like him." She quickly replied not even looking up at Jack's somewhat irritated face.

"Good, because I don't feel like killing him right now."

Jessa glared up at her older brother, "Even if I did like him, that doesn't give you the right to kill him." she hissed.

"Oh, yes it does, Jessie. As your big brother, I have to either kill or scare off all the boys that come anywhere near my baby sister." He said, giving her his evil grin.

"Keep dreaming, Jackie." She sassed.

After the conversation, Rose began to fuss. Jessa tried to rock her back to sleep, but she would have none of it. Soon Rose was screaming at the top of her little lungs. Jack's face turned red as he took her from his sister and rubbed circles on her back, but it still didn't work. She just kept crying her eyes out so Jack quickly took her to the captain's cabin. Arabella was fast asleep until Jack walked in with the screaming baby, "Belle, I think she's either hungry or wet. Either way, I've got to get back to work." He said as he walked into the room.

Arabella sighed as she got up and took her child, "If she is wet it wouldn't hurt for you to change her." She muttered while rocking the crying baby in her arms.

"Well, I've got work to do so yes it would hurt." He said and quickly left the cabin.

Arabella gently placed Rose on the table and changed her. Rose calmed down after she was wrapped back up and rocked back to sleep while Arabella hummed softly. She smiled as she thought of how funny it was when Jack tried to get out of changing Rose, but it was even funnier when he couldn't. Even though he didn't want to help out with certain things, Arabella knew he was a good father in the end. Jack would do anything for his daughter and Arabella knew that.  
She couldn't help but smile as she sat on the bed, nursing her child. It wasn't long before they both fell fast asleep.

* * *

A few weeks later, Jean was standing at the railing just staring out at the open ocean. The past few weeks on_ the Fury_ had been rough. Constance and Jim had either been making out or flirting with each other the whole time which was rather disgusting, Jessa had been ignoring Tumen more than ever, and Jack and Arabella's baby hadn't stopped crying since she was born. But after all that, he still thought this was a peaceful place to be until he saw something on the horizon. Dark clouds were coming closer as the ship sailed on. A storm was approaching and fast. Jean eyes widened in terror as he ran down to the captain's cabin and flung the door open. He had heard Rose screaming even before he got there so he knew they were, but even if they weren't the storm would've surely woken them up, "Jack, there's a storm approaching." Jean said, panting as he stood beside the door.

Jack immediately got up and told Jean to get the rest of the crew. He quickly turned to Arabella who had a nervous look on her face as she clutched her daughter to her chest, "Stay here with the baby." Jack said before kissing her lips. She nodded in response as he went upstairs to the helm.

The storm was a fierce one. It swayed the ship in every which way making it difficult for the crew to keep her afloat. Rain spattered Jack's face as he used all his strength to steer the boat to safety. The crew was having a lot of trouble staying on their feet as they secured whatever they could as the winds blew harder on the small vessel.  
Finally after what felt like days, the storm subsided and in the distance the crew could see an island. Jack ordered them to head straight for it and then he went down below to check on his girls. When he opened the door, he found Arabella out like a light and Rose sleeping next to her. With each passing day, Rose looked more like her father. He smiled at the thought and gently picked her up from the bed, "Hello sweetie" he whispered, kissing her forehead before walking over to the window. As he stared at the island, he wondered where he should go to keep his child safe from whatever harm that could befall her.

**Author's notes: You gotta admit Jack is a good father. I'll see about revising the last one as soon as I can. Please, pretty please review.**


	9. Chapter: A Difficult Decision

**Chapter 9: A Difficult Decision**

Once the small boat reached the island, the crew of _the _Fury moored the boat to the shore as Jack took a look at the jungle surrounding the forest, "You fellows go ahead and I'll stay here with Belle."

Jim gave him a curious look as he wrapped his arm around Constance's shoulder, "You don't plan on making another baby while we're gone, now do ya?" he asked with a devilish look on his face.

Jack sneered at his brother's stupid comment, "No, you moron. We can barely handle one as it is, now go get supplies before we all die of starvation." He ordered.

"Aye, aye" Jim said as he jumped off the ship and into the shallows with Constance still walking next to him, "Baby brother" Jim added once Jack was out of ear shot.

Tumen, Jean, and Jessa grabbed a few sacks of supplies and then followed Jim and Constance into the jungle. Tumen stared at Jessa with love-sick eyes, but she continued to ignored him as she followed her brother into the vegetation of the island. Jean shook his head, smiling as he watched his friend slump his shoulders at his failure.

Jack shook his head as he went below and into his cabin. When he plopped down on the bed, his thoughts went to the current situation his was in. He needed to find a safe place to raise his daughter without having to worry about the East India Trading Company. Where would they go? Maybe to the American colonies or something like that. Yeah, that might not be a bad idea.  
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard babbling coming from Rose's cradle. Jack smile slightly as he sat up and looked down at the small child that looked so much like him. "Hello, my sweet" he said as he picked her up. She stared up at her father with her big brown eyes and smiled. Her smile was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life. That was the one thing that could brighten any day no matter what was happening at the time. "There's that lovely smile." He said as he bounced her in his arms. Rose snuggled into his shoulder and yawned. Jack sighed as he walked over to the window and looked out over the ocean, "What should I do, Rosie? Should I take you and your mum to somewhere safe or should we just go back to Shipwreck?" he asked even though he knew she was not going to be able to answer. She just stared at him with her little thumb in her mouth. He sighed and placed a kiss on her forehead before turning his attention back at the sea. What he saw sailing towards them scared him beyond belief. There not far off, was an East India Trading Company ship followed by a Royal Navy vessel as well. They were headed straight for the_ Fury_, but stopped a few leagues off shore to drop a few longboats which then continued to head towards his small ship. Jack's eyes widened at the sight before he ran out of his cabin clutching his daughter to his chest. When he found Arabella in the galley cleaning, he placed the baby in her arms as quickly as he could without hurting either one of them, "Belle, stay down here with Rosie and whatever you do don't come up to the deck." He ordered before he headed to the stairs.

Arabella stared at him wide eyed, "Jack, what's going on?" she asked in a panicked tone as she clutched Rose to her own chest.

Jack turned to her with a pleading look on his face that hid his fear of what was to come, "Belle, please just listen to me and stay down here." He begged.

Arabella of course saw just how frightened he was so she nodded and leaned forward, "Please whatever it is be careful. We need you, Jack." She pleaded with what looked like tears in her eyes.

Jack kissed her lips passionately and looked her in the eye when he pulled apart, "I promise I'll take care of you." He whispered and then turned to go on deck. Arabella sighed as she turned and headed to their cabin with the baby in her arms.

When Jack reached the deck, the EITC longboats were just reaching his vessel. A minute later, a short man in his twenties or so boarded his ship with a smug look on his face. He wore the clothes of a very rich merchant and held the authority of someone in large power. He walked over to Jack and looked him over before he spoke, "Jack Sparrow, I presume?" he asked.

Jack wasn't going to bother correcting him so he just nodded, "Aye, and you would be?" he asked suspiciously. He refused to show a man like this his fear.

"I am Cutler Beckett, head of the East India Trading Company." He replied still as smug as when he first stepped onto the ship.

"Hate to be rude, mate, but what is it you want with a…person like me?" he asked trying his best to keep his cool. His main thoughts right now were keeping his family safe.

"I have a business proposition for you, Mr. Sparrow." Beckett replied.

"Oh, and what is said proposition?" Jack asked, eyeing Beckett very suspiciously.

"I have heard much about your adventures on the high seas and your ability to handle a ship. Rather extraordinary for a young man of your age, I must say. Therefore I believe you would make an excellent addition to the Company."

"Sorry mate, not interested in working for you lot, so if you would be so kind and be on your merry way."

Beckett didn't seem too happy with this response, "Mr. Sparrow, I understand that in the past year you have required a wife as well as a child. If I were you I wouldn't want to risk their lives."

Jack understood the hidden meaning behind this horrible man's words. If he refused to join, Arabella and Rose would be killed before his very eyes. Jack turned back to this useless excuse of a man with a look of disgust on his face, "Seems a little low for a high society English man like yourself." Jack said with a sneer.

Beckett acted like he hadn't heard this little comment and went on with his little rant, You could become a well-respected man such as myself after just a few years of working with me. You could become a merchant captain with your own ship, one that would be a lot better than this…vessel we now stand on. And just think how your child could benefit from this. You could give her a good home and a fine school to attend to when she becomes of age. And your wife, think of all you would be able to give her with the money that comes from this type of job. You could give her whatever her heart desires and maybe more. So what is your decision, Mr. Sparrow?"

Jack knew the decision had already been made. There was no way his wife and child would live he declined the offer nor would his friends and siblings once they were found on the island. But the thing Beckett had said about money and a better life for his family didn't sound that bad. He and Arabella would have the opportunity to raise their daughter in a comfortable home and be able to provide everything she'd need in life. The choice didn't sound as grim as it had when he was first told. Even though the choice had pretty much been made for him was it all that bad? Jack didn't think so. Maybe this was his chance to make something better for his family. So he turned back to the leader of the EITC with his decision, "I accept." He replied.

Beckett smiled seeming satisfied at the young man's decision, "Welcome to the East India Trading Company, Mr. Sparrow." He said as he shook Jack's hand, "As soon as you get your wife and child gathered up we'll be heading to the Endeavor which will take us to Port Royal."

Jack nodded before heading below and to his cabin. Slowly he opened the door and saw Arabella sitting in the rocking chair still clutching the baby tightly to her. When she saw him, she quickly ran to him with a relieved look on her face, "What happened? What's going on?" she asked frantically.

Jack held his head down and sighed, "Pack up a few small bags with necessary items. We're going to Port Royal." He replied glumly.

Arabella's eyes widened, "Why? I thought we were trying to stay away from the EITC?" she asked confused at what he had just told her.

Jack took a deep breath before he replied, "Belle, they're forcing me to join the company and if I don't they'll kill you and Rosie."

Arabella froze at his words. Jack had no choice but to join those stuck-up men in their sick game of society and money. He had to do this for her and their child. He was sacrificing his freedom for his family. Arabella felt tears in her eyes as she thought of this. Jack was nothing like she thought he was when she first met him all those years ago. He was a good man who would give up the one thing he's always wanted just to save his family…his freedom. She gently placed her hand on her husband's face and looked into his brown eyes, "Ye are the most wonderful man in this world, Jack. Ye're giving up the one thing you want most just to keep me and Rosie safe." She smiled up at his worried face, "I love you so much."

Jack smiled slightly and wrapped his arms around his wife and child, "I'd give up everything just to keep me girls safe. Ye both mean more to me than you'll ever realize. I love you as well." They stayed in each other's arms only for another minute when Rose cooed in her mother's arms. They smiled down at their small daughter with loving eyes. She was what brought them together and the one thing that was going to keep them happy during these rough times.

Quickly, Jack and Arabella packed a few bags with all the necessary things and walked on deck to find Beckett and his men waiting for them to board the longboats. As the boats were rowed to the Endeavor, Jack kept his arm around his nervous wife and looked behind him as his small ship and his freedom floated away. But his family was more important. Without his wife and child he was nothing. They were everything to the young man and he'd do whatever he could to keep them safe. He sighed as he looked away from his disappearing vessel and then turned his attention to the small child in his wife's arms. Rose looked up at him curiously as the longboat neared the ship. It was almost as if she was asking him where they were going. Jack smiled down at her and held her little hand in his own as the boat rocked in the blue waters of the sea. He hoped he would be able to give her a life she could be proud of and he hoped she would be proud of him one day when she was older, but truth be told she didn't care about his social status or whatever money he had. She just loved him because he was her father and that wasn't going to change no matter what the future would bring.

**The End**

**Did Jack make the right decision? What will happen to Rose Sparrow? Will Jack and Arabella's love last for as long as they both shall live? Find out in the next story, The Pirate's Child. **


End file.
